Need some advice

[2001orangess]

Well many of u know that i'm going to school overseas. i was thinking about transportaion and i was thinking i can get a civic type r out there (the ricer in me :P). I can get a low milage one for under 10k or i can get an s15 for a smilir price. Than today i talked to my cousin who has connections out there and he can probably get me a r34 for about 20k. Many of u guys may say why so little. Motorex, a company who imports skylines sells it for about 90k. The sell the r32 and r33 for 50-70k. those r32 and r33 can be had for about 15kish. the guy made a killing but he's now in jail. i think it had something to do about monpolizing or some crap like that

I can get the r34 for about 20k (still think thats kinda cheap) than ship it to the states for about 2-3k. now the question is what else do i need. I know that there is a 2.5% tax on what the car is worth. so lets say it comes out to about $500.

so assuming that these are the bulk of the xpenses, the total would be under 30k

approx 20k for car +2-3k for shipping and + $500 for taxes = better than paying 90k for it


if I can import the car for even close to 30k. i'm doing it and keeping it stock

btw i don;t know if it'll pass emission, or us saftey standards, but i hear that it does


so i ask any of u if u guys know anyone who imports cars. i need some advice on what route should i take, what i could expect and what road bumps i may encounter.

[2001orangess]

i want something like this in my garage 8)

[ar0ck]

I thought all Skylines had to go through motorex? I guess thats just a way they kept a strangle hold on the market. If you can get it legalized in the states then go for it!

[qwikz28]

im thinking you should buy the r34 while your there and sell it before you come back. by the time you get back all the emissions crap is gonna be 10x stricter and your not even sure you can get it to pass even now. how do you legalize a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side?

[Injuneer]

Don't forget the NJ Sales Tax, which will probably be 7% by the time you get it back here. You can get a once-per-lifetime Federal exemption from emissions on importing a car, but it can not be a vehicle which has a legal version sold here in the US (called a 'gray market' vehicle). Then you wwould need to register it in NJ as a limited use vehicle, with collector car insurance, to avoid the NJ emissions and safety inspection issues.

Take a look at some of the info on this site, with regard to the need to satisfy three different US Government agencies before you can import a non-conforming (in terms of both emissions and safety equipment like shatterproof glass, headlights, airbags, etc.) vehicle. Scroll down to Importing a Non-conforming Vehicle in the middle of the page:

http://www.ideamerge.com/motoeuropa/...ter/index.html

A snippet from that source.....

Importing a Non-Conforming Vehicle

If you plan to import a...... vehicle that does not conform to your country's vehicle standards, you need to do some substantial homework. If you know exactly what vehicle you'll be buying abroad, you should be able to determine all the costs associated with importing it. On the other hand, the slightest misunderstanding by any party involved in such an enterprise can result in unexpected and overwhelming costs to you and you alone.

US citizens must deal either directly or indirectly with three separate government agencies, each with its own agenda: Customs, which I addressed largely in the previous chapter, will concern itself with establishing the value of your vehicle and placing a proper duty and federal tax on it; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will concern itself with establishing that your vehicle does not pose an unacceptable threat to the environment; and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will concern itself with establishing that your vehicle does not pose an unacceptable threat to the immediate safety of the population. In the end, a US citizen importing a vehicle must be able to prove to Customs that he or she has satisfied the requirements of the other two entities; otherwise the citizen will face long delays and high port-storage fees while he or she arranges the necessary paperwork and modifications to the vehicle.

[V]

when i was in the market for a skyline, i did some basic research and found 3 main things needed to make the car conform. 1st, the front windsheild would have to be replaced with a US approved safety glass version, 2nd, it would need to have 5mph bumpers, and 3rd, the speedo would need to be set to MPH instead of KPH. As for emissions, i dont know eactly but collector or that expemption thing may work. and yeah, shipping would probably cost 4-6k. plus then sales tax UNLESS, heres the one possible part, if you own the vehicle already. like if you bought it over there and used it there then shipped it to the US, theres some regulations that are tricky for that situation but sicne you own it its like any personal possesion if you moved. but there probably is an import tax, which is much less on a used car, than a new car. Used may be defined by how long you own it in another country. And the US does allow RHD vehicles.

[trashman01]

they speedo doesnt can be KPH as long as the MPH is under the KPH. my buddy bought his 5.0 GT from Canada and all he had to do was get it safety checked and emission tested

edit: just become a sales person so u can get a dealer plate and drive around on that

[2001orangess]

well i kinda need a car while 'm out there so i'm not buying it for the sole purpose of brining it here. i want to use it there. i'm going to have for at least 2 years so the ownership thing should be taken car of. btw, i was going to use some type of collectors insurance anyway cause this wouldn;t be my daily driver.